Messy streets, poor visibility as snow falls in Lynbrook, East Rockaway

Snow started falling across the South Shore two hours earlier than expected on Saturday, with the first flakes hitting the ground around 9 a.m.

By darkness at 5 p.m., more than half a foot of snow had fallen in many parts of the South Shore, and the storm was not expected to let up until 10 or 11 p.m, according to the National Weather Service.

The storm made for messy streets, including major thoroughfares like Merrick Road. Officials were urging people to stay at home if possible to allow snow plows and sanders to clear streets. A number of accidents and near-misses were spotted on roads across the region.

Early in the day, the weather service issued a Winter Storm Warning for Nassau and Suffolk counties, effective from the morning of Jan. 7 into the early morning of Jan. 8.

High schools canceled afternoon games, and a number of libraries reported early closings.

Long Islanders can expect four to eight inches of snow, and perhaps as much as 11 inches in eastern Suffolk County, according to the weather service. As of Saturday morning, temperatures hovered in the mid-20s, but were expected to drop into the teens overnight between Saturday and Sunday.

Motorists were cautioned to expect snowy and icy driving conditions. Visibility was predicted to be less than a quarter mile at times during the late morning and into the afternoon on Saturday. Winds were expected to blow at 10 to 20 miles per hour, with gusts up to 30 miles per hour.

With snow coming down in the Five Towns, area villages mobilized work crews to plow and/or sweep.

In Atlantic Beach, Mayor George Pappas said after a meeting at Village Hall that the consensus was to wait for at least two or three inches to accumulate before trucks were sent out.

Here’s the weather service’s 24-hour forecast:

Today: Snow, mainly after 9 a.m. Could be heavy at times. High near 26 degrees Fahrenheit, with wind chill values between 10 and 15. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. Daytime accumulations between five and nine inches of snow possible.

Tonight : Snow likely, mainly before midnight. Gradual clearing through the morning, with a low around 18 and wind chill values between 5 and 10. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent.

Sunday: Isolated snow showers after 10 a.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 25.